The Conventioneers
by Bebop Cowboy
Summary: Two old friends meet again years after the incidents at the Inn. What happens then?


He stood there silently, a glass of liquor in hand. He leaned against a wall in the hotel's convention hall, trying to listen to the music playing. He tugged at his tie, trying to loosen its noose-like grip on his neck. The convention seemed to surround him. Vendors chatted away about the positives about their products and businessmen and women listened, asking the occasional question. Machines made whirring noises, as did the air conditioning. The faint smell of food and sweat created a sickly sweet odour that invaded his nostrils.   
"Another year, another great convention," he murmured sarcastically.   
He ran a hand through his hair and sighing, adjusted his glasses. He lowered his head and took another sip from the drink. He smacked his lips and brought his head back up.   
That's when he saw her.   
She was beautiful: a slim, young woman, no older than twenty-five. Short blonde hair highlighted the bright smile on her tanned face. The green eyes shone with an un-earthly light. She wore a suit, a men's suit, with enough slack to leave her figure to the imagination. And for some reason, she seemed familiar. She quickly glanced his way and smiled. Then she turned to talk with a man standing next to her. Downing what was left of his drink, he walked toward the woman.   
He stumbled a bit, the drinks beginning to take effect. He came up and she turned to him, a bashful smile on her face. He extended his hand and was about to introduce himself when she spoke.   
"Hello, Keitaro."   
Needless to say, he was taken aback. He stared in shock at the woman, who just laughed at him. "You don't remember me, do you Keitaro?" she asked, a slight giggle in her voice.   
Unable to speak, he just shook his head. She walked away from him and said, "Maybe this will refresh your memory."  
She ran at him suddenly, launching herself like a cat pouncing on prey. She hit him and they fell to the floor. After landing, she sat on his chest and yelled, "Hey, Keitaro!"  
"Oh, my god! Su-chan?" He stood up and hugged her, ignoring the shocked stares of everyone in the room. "How have you been?"   
"I've been really good, Keitaro. How about you? Oh, I love this song! C'mon!"  
She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the small clear space that acted as a dance floor. He placed his hands on her hips and hers around her neck. He blushed slightly at the contact. "So," said Su, "like I was saying, how have you been?"  
"I've been doing okay, I guess. Graduated from Tokyo U a few years ago."  
"Congratulations, Keitaro! And to think, everyone back at the Inn thought you'd be a ronin for the rest of your life!" Su said, giggling.   
Keitaro smiled. "What about you?" he asked.   
"Well, I went back to my country, did my schooling there and began a computer company." She stopped suddenly and pulled away. "Oh! And now I have to go and give a presentation for some potential clients. Um, d'you want to come up to my room later, maybe catch up on old times?"  
"Sure, that'd be great!" he replied. "What room?"  
"872. Give me a couple of hours, okay?"  
"Alright," he said, grinning.  
She smiled back. "Okay, Keitaro. I'll see you in awhile." She kissed him on the cheek and brushed by him. He watched her walk away, admiring her. He remembered all the times Su had become an adult back at the Inn. 'God', he thought, "she's even more cute now.' He laughed silently. 'Her personality hasn't changed that much at all though.' He reached up absently and touched the place she had kissed. A wave swept of dizziness swept over him and he swayed slightly. "Damn drinks," he muttered.   
  
"Let's see, 872, 872." Keitaro walked down the halls, looking for Su's room. "868. 870. Ah, 872!"   
He knocked on the door and a voice called from inside. "It's unlocked! C'mon in!"   
Keitaro walked inside and took his shoes off. The lights were dimmed. Su sat on the couch, her legs curled up close to her body. She had changed since their meeting. Now she wore loose fitting jeans and a white tank top. The TV was on, a music channel belting out an '80's tune. She turned down the volume and greeted him. "Hey, Keitaro."  
"Hi, Su-chan."   
Keitaro brought a bottle out from behind his back. "Here, I brought this. It's just some wine. Thought we could have a glass or two while we talked."  
"Oh! I'll grab some glasses." She grabbed the bottle took it over to the cupboard in the room's kitchenette.  
Keitaro strolled around nervously. "Nice room," her commented. "Do you always rent suites when you go to conventions?"  
She laughed. "Not always. I just wanted to splurge on this trip."  
He walked to the window and looked out over the city. It was beautiful. The thousands of lights made the city look like a swarm of fireflies. Keitaro saw a reflection in the window. Turning, he saw Su standing next to him. 'God, she's pretty,' he thought. She handed a glass of wine to him.   
"Beautiful, huh?" she commented, taking a sip.  
Keitaro blushed deeply, and then realized what she was talking about.  
"Oh, the view! Yeah, it is."   
They both stood there silently, enjoying the lights.   
"So," asked Su, "what happened after you and Naru left the Inn, Keitaro?"  
He swallowed a mouthful of wine and stared out across the city.   
"Well," he began, "we moved into an apartment in the Nerima district of Tokyo and finished university. But it got trashed by this redheaded girl and a guy with an umbrella, so we moved into Naru's family's house. We lived there for about half a year and then we had a fight about our relationship. I was travelling lots and she wanted to get married. But I couldn't let her do that; marry a guy on the road eight months out of the year." He shifted uncomfortably and swallowed a sob. "It was horrible. She cried the whole time and," he sniffled, "and we broke up just over seven months ago."  
Su gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Keitaro."  
He pulled off his glasses and wiped a tear away with the back of his hand. "It's ok. It's just hard to talk about, even now."  
Su glanced down, a sad look on her face. "I know what you mean. The same thing happened between Shinobu and I."  
Keitaro placed his glasses back on. "What? You two were together?"  
Su smiled. "Yeah, just after you guys left."  
"So, are you, uh-"  
"What? A lesbian? No, bisexual. Shinobu was too, I think. Maybe she was just confused. I don't know. Either way, she met a guy from work and left me for him. Last I knew, they'd gotten married and moved to Osaka." She took a long drink of wine. "Want to go sit down now? I'm getting chilly."  
"Sure. Let's go."  
They both walked over to the couch and sat down. Su curled back up and Keitaro sat, facing straight ahead. He cradled his glass in his hands. Some time passed before Su asked a question.   
"Do you miss her?"  
Keitaro looked over. "What?"  
"Naru. Do you miss her?"  
He smiled sadly. "Every day."  
She crawled over closer to him. "I always thought you two would wind up together. She really liked you, you know. Everyone at the Inn did, actually. Even me," she said. The same song from earlier came on and slowly began to play. Su leaned over and put her head on his shoulder.   
He wrapped an arm around her "Yeah? Well, I always thought you were kinda cute, Su-chan."  
She looked up at him. "Really?"  
He smiled. "Yeah. There was someth-"  
She surprised Keitaro by lifting her head and kissing him. Their tongues intertwined and he closed his eyes. As quickly as it started, it ended. Their lips parted and Keitaro was left sitting there, wonderstruck. He slowly opened his eyes. She was sitting there, eyes shining, with a hopeful smile on her face. He smiled back and leaned forward. Their lips met again. Su grabbed his collar and pulled him on top of her. They explored each other's mouths as the song slowly played on.  
  
Su opened her eyes. Darkness flooded her vision. She blinked several times. Slowly, she was able to see the various shapes around the room. She quietly rolled out of bed, wearing nothing. She quickly walked to her suitcase and took out clothes. She pulled on some panties and shorts. She heard Keitaro snoring lightly. She grabbed a blouse and walked over to where he lay. He was sprawled out, the covers covering the lower half of his body. She put the shirt on and began doing up the buttons. She whispered softly.  
"You were always so cute, Keitaro. That's why I liked you." She sighed. "That's why I loved you."   
She finished putting on the blouse and went to get her suitcase. She walked back to where she had stood before.  
"But I'm not meant to be with you. Naru is. I hope you find her again one day."  
She bent down and kissed him on both eyelids and then on the cheek. "I'll never forget this night we had, Kei-kun. Goodbye." She walked silently out of the room and took an elevator to the lobby, tears in her eyes the whole time. She went outside and hailed a cab. She opened the door and sat down.   
"Where to, miss?" asked the cabbie.  
"Shorewood Apartments down on Fifth Street, please."  
The cabbie sensed the approaching sob in Su's voice. "Are you alright, miss?"  
She sniffed. "Yes. I just need to go home. Thanks."  
The cab drove off, leaving a trail of exhaust. In a nearby alley, a cat meowed softly into the night. Far up in the hotel, Keitaro looked out over the balcony. He watched the cab drive off slowly, until it became just another one of the fireflies of the city. He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to keep away the cold breeze. A tear slowly worked its way down his cheek.   
"Goodbye, Su-chan."  
  
  
  
  
So, how'd you like it? *laughs* Like how I added Ranma and Ryoga destroying the apartment? But it was kinda sad, huh? Well, I think so at least. Anyway, read it, review, flame it or frame it. I don't care. Thanks for reading, though. 


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